Longview Labeled “Hot Spot” for Opioid Abuse

LONGVIEW — Pill abuse is taking Texas by storm. Accidental drug deaths eclipse traffic deaths. The demand for prescription drugs for non-medical use is growing. The Drug Enforcement Agency’s Wendell Campbell says people are turning to heroin because it’s cheaper to buy on the street than an opiod-based prescription pill. He says on an average day in America, 590 people will try heroin for the first time. 3900 people, per day, will try an opiod based prescription drug for non-medical reasons. In San Antonio, officials are seeing 20 overdoses per day. Texarkana, Amarillo, Odessa and Longview are in the top 25 hot spots for opiod abuse in the nation.